The Basque Country is a country of dedicated mycologists, or
mushroom experts, as well as mushroom eaters, even though until several
decades ago only very few species were eaten, out of the innumerable
possibilities that can be found in a woody and moist
country such as ours. Today our recipe books include varieties that
until very recently were disdained, and this allows one to sample fresh
mushrooms year round.

By agreeing with the knowledge of the most valued mushrooms in
Basque cuisine through the variety of recipes that our chefs offer, one
can thus avoid long hikes in search of mushrooms as well as the risk of
not distinguishing between edible and poisonous
species.

Mushrooms are usually preferred grilled, baked, or scrambled with
eggs, these methods being the best in order for one to appreciate the
delicate flavors and textures of different species. Perhaps the most
exquisite is the "perretxiku" (lyophylum georgii), so fragile that it
will not bear sauces and is usually eaten scrambled with eggs. Lightly
fried and then carefully blended with eggs, "ontto beltzak" (boletus
edulis) are highly regarded.

The grill and the oven offer the perfect preparation for other
species so widespread as "gibelurdinak", mottled or silvery (clitocybe
nebularis and geotropa). Grilled, with eggs, as a stuffing or a garnish,
in shish-kebobs with meat, as a base for sauces, or even raw, the most
commonly used mushrooms in Basque cuisine often include "senderuelas"
(marasmus oreades), "barbuda" (corprinus comatus), "champi˝ˇn" (psalliota
campestris), "pie azul" (rhodopasillus nudus/saevus), "nÝscalo" (lactarius
deliciosus), and a long list of miscellaneous possibilities that can
only depend on locations, time of harvest, and on the imagination of the
gatherer.

It is also necessary to mention truffles, which are found in
Araba, specifically in the area of Campezo, which, though not always
considered by traditional cuisine, have incorporated themselves vigorously
into modern cuisine.

In addition to egg scrambles, truffles have become one of the most
luxurious additions to sauces, creams, etc. in Basque cuisine.

Where to enjoy mushrooms:

Although nowadays one may eat fresh mushrooms year round, spring
and autumn still continue to be the optimal seasons for sampling the most
valued species. In this case, when is more important than where.

In Araba, springtime mushrooms ("perretxiku") sprout
simultaneously with the festivals of its patron saint, San Prudencio.
During these dates, in markets such as the one in Ordizia, the first
samples of these exquisite mushrooms appear, and for the first few weeks
they reach price levels that are, quite frankly, extraordinary.

The majority of distinguished restaurants collaborate with expert
providers, privileged connaisseurs of the niches where this specie hides,
tenaciously and regularly, year after year, because of which springtime
cuisine can offer as one of its basic elements preparations including
"perretxiku" and "xixa".

With help from the lunar cycles and the frequent rainfalls, in
autumn the humid forests are filled with mushrooms of other equally
enjoyed species, these being the months when these earthy products are
most easily found in restaurants.